The Choice
by Cosette 24601
Summary: Arthur and Gwen are shocked to find their first-born son is a warlock, born with magic. Now Arthur faces a difficult choice.
1. Chapter 1

"A what?!" Arthur roared, every inch his father's son in that moment.

"A warlock," Gaius warily said, hoping Arthur may be more tolerant than his father but seeing far too much of Uther in the moment.

"How could my son be a warlock? He's barely a year old!" Arthur demanded. His icy glare passed by the little boy in Gwen's arms. Her heart began pounding, for once not knowing how to deal with her husband.

"Witches and warlocks are different from sorcerers, despite your father never bother to make a distinction between the two," Gaius said. "They are born with magic. As.. as was Morgana."

"Born with magic? What do you mean?" he demanded angrily. Gwen simply looked at her son fearfully. She clutched the sweet little boy closer to her chest.

"He… he won't be able to help using magic," Gaius explained, accidently glancing at Merlin who was trying for all the world to not look to overly invested in the matter. "And he'll use magic differently. All he'll need to do is channel his powers rather than incant a spell or use magical objects as a regular sorcerer would."

"How do we get rid of this?" Arthur demanded.

"You can't get rid of it," Gaius said, glancing at Gwen fearfully. Gwen buried her face in her son's hair. Hoping Arthur wouldn't notice, she poised herself to run. She hoped with all her heart that her beloved would not hold so tight to old prejudices to the point that he would kill his own son. But as much as she trusted that Arthur loved them, she couldn't risk her baby's life. And Arthur was asking how to get rid of "this." Once he was thoroughly convinced that there was no way to make the magic inside disappear, how long until he decided to getting rid of the child was his only option? In the best of scenarios, Arthur would have to banish the child in order to follow his father's laws. And Gwen would never leave her child. Her heart was breaking inside at the thought of leaving her beloved. But not as much as it did at the fear that he would order the death of his own son.

"Then what?" Arthur demanded. "There has to be a way to hide it."

Merlin involuntarily knocked a vase over as he reacted. _Hide it?_ He remembered being a child. He had little control over it, if any. It took years and years to control it enough that he could hide it. And even now, it was only the mask of invisibility as a servant that protected him here in Camelot. A princely warlock was sure to be found out with all eyes upon him at all times. If only Arthur would see reason. But this was _Arthur_ they were talking about. Why did he always have to be such a stubborn clotpole?

"_Merlin!_ Why are you so clumsy? We're trying to talk here!" Arthur complained.

"S-So sorry, Sire," Merlin gasped, starting to clean up the vase shards. He was mostly just relieved that his magic hadn't accidently tried to catch it for him.

"We need to figure how to deal with this problem immediately," Arthur said almost harshly.

Gwen's blood boiled at those cruel words and she spat out, "This _problem_? The _problem_ you speak of is _our_ son!"

"He's a sorcerer!" Arthur said furiously in a moment of passion. He saw the betrayed look that came over Gwen's face and instantly repented. "No! I… I didn't mean that. Gwen, you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Didn't you?" she said pointedly.

"I… No… Gwen, you don't really think I would hurt him, do you?" Arthur said desperately.

Gwen turned away from him as he reached a hand out to her.

"Gwen… I… we can work this out," he pled.

"You've spent your whole life working against sorcery, killing without any thought to the sorcerer's life and their intentions. And now you expected me to believe you would love a child with magic?" Gwen spat, hugging the child to her chest, ready to run the moment Arthur reacted.

But Arthur stepped back, stung. "Gwen! I… I love our child. I swear… even if he has magic."

"It shouldn't be an 'even if', Arthur. You should love him unconditionally. He's your _son_," Gwen said, turning away and striding towards the door as fast as she could without making it obvious she was terrified. She had said too much. Arthur was sure to be furious and act now.

Arthur was almost angry, but wasn't this strength what had attracted to him in the first place? And… he needed her. And his son.

"Gwen…" Arthur pled, racing to stand between her and the door. Merlin ran over, ready to intercede on Gwen's behalf. Gwen shifted her child towards Merlin, ready to entrust the boy with the faithful manservant if necessary. Worst come to worst, she could trust that Merlin would do anything to help an innocent child. And somehow, despite his bumbling ways, Merlin and those he cared about always ended up safe as if by magic.

"Let us go, Arthur. I'd rather not have to witness you banishing or executing your own child," she said coldly.

"What? Gwen, no! I would never! And… please don't leave," Arthur said as gently as the arrogant prince could. Gwen merely glared at him. "Gwen. I… This would be a lot easier if you'd work with me!"

"I am. I'm leaving so you get what you want. You don't want to hurt your own child, but you don't want magic around," Gwen said coldly.

"I… Gwen… Just… I… I," Arthur seemed to be struggling for words.

"You what?"

"It's… I'll make it all work out in the end," Arthur struggled.

"And how is that?" Gwen challenged.

"I mean, maybe you could stay awhile. And… I'll work on this…" Arthur said, not sure how to respond.

"Oh you clotpole," Merlin said exasperatedly. "Just tell her that you need her here with you."

Arthur blushed. "Merlin!"

"What? It's true!" Merlin insisted.

"Is it?" Gwen asked quietly.

"I… Merlin's sometimes right," he said, evading the actual question.

"I need to hear it from you," Gwen said stubbornly.

"I…I need you, Gwen," he finally managed. "We… everything will be alright. As … as long as we're together. You… you'll help me, right?"

Gwen finally relented. "Of course, Arthur."

He smiled, relieved his love and son would not leave him. He slowly reached out to Gwen. She flinched slightly but did not protest. He pulled her in close, kissing his son's forehead softly in a rare gesture of emotion. Gwen and Arthur exchanged a smile, and he knew he was forgiven.

"Gwen, what are _we_ going to do?" Arthur asked quietly.

"We're going to love and care for our child. Any powers he may have will not make us love him any less," she said stubbornly.

Arthur looked like he was trying very hard to swallow something. "Of course. But… what are we to tell everyone?"

Gwen rocked the child as she thought it over. "Gaius? Merlin? Any ideas?"

Merlin finally worked up his nerve to suggest, "Legalize magic?"

"Legalize magic? Haha, Merlin, you could be so funny sometimes," Arthur laughed.

"Arthur. It's worth considering," Gwen said quietly.

"You can't be serious!" Arthur protested.

"If others have had magic forced upon them as our child has, then it's wrong to hunt them down so," Gwen said.

Merlin leaned in. Could this be the chance he had been waiting for? Years of serving Arthur may be finally paying off for his kind. If anyone could make Arthur see sense, it was Gwen.

"I… I suppose that's a possibility," Arthur said reluctantly, shocking everyone in the room with those words.

"Arthur," Gwen said, placing a hand on Arthur's cheek. "I know this is hard for you. But you know not all your father did was just."

"He'd be so ashamed of me," he said just barely loud enough for Gwen to hear him.

"And when has that stopped you from acting as you see just? You married me," she pointed out softly, knowing Arthur's father would be horrified to see a commoner on the throne.

"So… you think I should allow magic? It's… but we've only every seen magic used for evil," he said incredulously.

"That's because magic is outlawed, Sire. Who would risk you knowing they used magic for good when their good act would only lead to their death?" Gaius interceded.

"William," Merlin said, remembering his friend who had lied about having magic to protect him. Merlin wasn't convinced that Arthur had truly changed to accept magic and was hesitant to reveal himself. "He died using magic to save you. Who knows who else may have used magic in secret to help you?"

Arthur stared at his manservant. Merlin wasn't really suggesting magic happened around him without him knowing? But he had a point about William.

Arthur slowly nodded. "I… Gwen, I'll need your help in convincing the council."

"You… you're going to allow magic?" she said, scarcely believing it.

"Do I have any other choice? I can't deny my own son, but I cannot make exceptions for him alone. So I… I don't see any other choice. And we need to act before it becomes apparent that we're acting for the sake of our son," Arthur said, chewing on his lip. "Unless… is there any other way?"

"None I can think of," Gwen said. "But perhaps it is all for the best. This war against sorcerers is what has led them to acting against us. Perhaps this will lead to peace."

Arthur felt like this was wildly optimistic. But the softer side of his heart told him that maybe she was right. And perhaps it was time for a change. There was no need to

"And who knows? Maybe you'll find good sorcerers who'll support you once you legalize magic?" Gaius said, a small amused glance towards Merlin.

"Who knows who might surprise you by coming out as having good magic?" Merlin said quirkily.

"Are you suggesting yourself?" Gwen teased.

"Hahahaha! Merlin, have magic? That would be the day," Arthur chuckled heartily. "Gwen, if… if we're to… to actually legalize…_magic_, we should start on it. This… it won't be easy."

Gwen placed a reassuring hand on her husband's shoulder, knowing he was still unsure but convinced he would not go back on his word.

As soon as they left, Gaius and Merlin started laughing. "That would be the day, wouldn't it? I can't wait to see the look on that prat's face," Merlin grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Since so many people requested a reveal chapter, here it is! If people have something specific about it that they want to see in another chapter, I'll consider it, but no guarantees. Thanks for all the love though! :) **

"So have any sorcerers come forward yet?" Merlin asked hopefully.

Arthur chucked a pillow at him. "_Mer_lin. You've asked me every day this week. No, none have. They're all too scared. But I'm going to change that."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Merlin said skeptically.

"Mordred's a Druid. He's bound to know someone who knows magic. And if I can just publicly have one magic user on my side, others are likely to move forward," Arthur decided.

Merlin gave Arthur a sideways glance. "You really want magic users on your side then? I thought this was just about being able to keep your warlock son."

"It…it was," Arthur admitted.

"And then?" Merlin pressed.

"Gwen…she and I started talking about Morgana. She thinks that maybe if Morgana had someone she could have talked about her powers with, if she had people supporting her, maybe she would not have turned…" he trailed off with a shudder at what Morgana had become. "Anyways, Gwen thinks maybe we could make sorcerers our allies. At the very least for our son to have a mentor "

"That's a big leap from hunting them down to being allies with them," Merlin pointed out. "Who's going to actually come forward with admitting they are the same people you were hunting down just a few weeks ago?"

"It's not going to be easy," Arthur admitted, something he could have never done with anyone but his trusted manservant.

"I…I might know something that could make it easier," Merlin ventured.

"You?" Arthur said dubiously. "Really, Merlin? What, do you know a sorcerer?"

"Well, what if a sorcerer was someone you already knew and trusted, but who had to hide his magic from you?" Merlin said uncertainly.

"Please, Merlin. I think I would know if someone I knew what doing magic," Arthur laughed.

Merlin grimaced. "Just answer the question, Sire."

"I would…wait, _Mordred_ has magic?" Arthur said, realization suddenly hitting him. "I can't believe he's been hiding this from me!"

"I – I didn't say that, Sire!" Merlin said, panicked.

"You said enough. And it's been under my nose this whole time!" Arthur said, pacing back in forth across the room. "He…he hid this. The traitor! He's probably been plotting with magic this whole time!"

"_Arthur_!" Merlin shouted. Arthur stopped in his tracks, shocked at seeing Merlin actually angry for once. "Sire. He wasn't who I meant actually. Although…Never mind. But if this is how you're going to react, why would any sorcerer ever come forward?"

Arthur stared at Merlin wildly. Merlin took a deep breath to compose himself and continued, "What's more, this is exactly why Morgana turned evil."

That caught Arthur. "You…you think so?"

"I know so," Merlin said so solemnly that Arthur was confused. It was as if Merlin knew the experience for himself. But…no, it was impossible. Merlin, a sorcerer? That would be the day.

"So, who is the sorcerer you've been hinting at?" Arthur frowned.

"I…I can't tell you," Merlin chickened out. "You'll just get angry."

"I…If the sorcerer swears that he never used magic against Camelot, I may be persuaded. Although it would be hard to believe that any sorcerer would have good intentions for sneaking into Camelot," Arthur thought out loud.

"What if…what if this sorcerer has used magic to protect you?" Merlin said hesitantly, afraid of saying too much and not being able to go back.

"Why would a sorcerer use magic to protect me?" Arthur said, bemused.

"If…You know, among the Druids, there's a prophecy," Merlin attempted.

"About?" Arthur said impatiently.

"A…a great sorcerer called the Emrys. And that…he would serve the Once and Future King. You. And…unite the lands of Albion," Merlin said hesitantly. "So he…he's been using magic to protect you. Because of the prophecy. And maybe he actually likes you too. Even though I hardly know why anyone would like such a clotpole."

"Prophecies…how accurate are those anyways?" Arthur frowned, so interested by the idea that he ignored the customary insult. "If they are, I must find this Emrys!"

"It's…it's definitely true," Merlin said. Belatedly, he noticed his hands were quite literally shaking from fear.

"But how do we know this Emrys won't turn on us? Especially if…especially if he is so powerful?" Arthur said, pacing about the room impatiently.

"He won't," Merlin said confidently, knowing this was the one thing he could count on.

"How can you be so sure?" Arthur frowned.

"You…you would trust me to never betray you, right?" Merlin attempted.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Arthur complained.

"Well, if you trust me, you can trust him," Merlin said slowly, afraid Arthur might jump to correct conclusions.

Arthur stared at Merlin for a moment. "Alright, then, have it your way. I do trust you, I suppose. So do you know this Emrys?"

"I…I do," Merlin admitted.

"Gaius! He used to do magic, right? I knew some of his potions were too good to be true," Arthur said triumphantly, confident that he had figured it out this time.

"No, it's not Gaius," Merlin said, half relieved Arthur hadn't guessed correctly and half annoyed that Arthur was always so cocky. Although that arrogance was what had always saved Merlin from being found out in the past. "But _if_ it was, would you still trust him?"

That caught Arthur off guard. He mulled it over a bit and concluded, "I…he's saved so many lives that I guess I would."

"That didn't sound very confident," Merlin commented, resulting in a pillow being thrown at him.

"Fine. I trust him. Confident enough for you?" Arthur said.

"Maybe if you said it without slouching so," Merlin teased. When Arthur reached for another pillow, Merlin quickly said, "But you would? So as long as the Emrys is someone you really trust, you wouldn't forget that trust?"

"I….I guess if he came forward to me first rather than waiting to be found out I suppose," Arthur frowned, not entirely sure what he would do if Emrys was someone he knew well. But he puzzled who outside of Gaius and Mordred could possibly have even the littlest bit of magic.

"You would accept his magic then? Even if it was someone who had been hiding it from you?" Merlin said.

"_Merlin!_ I've told you already, yes! Having a warlock for a son, well, that rather changes things, doesn't it?" Arthur said exasperatedly.

"Oh, right. And the Emrys is a warlock too. He was born with it. And very confused by it when growing up," Merlin added. "But he was fortunate to find a good mentor to keep him from turning bitter and evil like Morgana did."

Something about the way Merlin said it was just too emotional to be talking about some stranger.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, bemused. "Just how well do you know this Emrys?"

"Um..." Merlin stalled. "You know me. I'm friendly with everyone."

"Hmm," Arthur said, knowing that much was true. "So Emrys had a mentor? Maybe we should work on getting the mentor on our side first so that the Emrys won't turn on us."

"The mentor is on your side. And I already told you, Emrys is good. He won't betray you," Merlin said earnestly.

"Alright, so who is the Emrys?" Arthur said impatiently. "You keep evading the question."

"He…You absolutely swear you won't change your mind about that person?" Merlin clarified.

"I…It'll change my mind a little bit?" Arthur tried.

"But not in the bad way?" Merlin said.

"Oh hurry up, Merlin! Or I'll throw you in the stocks for not answering your king," Arthur blustered.

"Please! You've got to promise me you won't turn against the Emrys!" Merlin insisted.

"I …If you really believe this so-called Emrys is truly on our side…well, then I guess I trust you. Even if you are incapable of the simplest tasks," Arthur said.

"You just had to get the insult in there," Merlin sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you."

"Well?" Arthur prompted.

"I am," Merlin said, waiting with baited breath for Arthur's reaction.

"Don't just tell me that you're telling me. Actually tell me!" Arthur said impatiently.

"I am telling you! _I_ am!" Merlin said, annoyed.

"Who?" Arthur said loudly, still misunderstanding him.

"Me!" Merlin shouted. "I'm Emrys!"

Arthur stared at him wide-eyed for several moments before bursting into loud chortles. "You really had me going for a moment there, Merlin. But enough wasting time. I have real problems to be facing."

As Arthur headed out, Merlin's eyes flashed gold as he made several swords and various other assorted weapons around the room encircle Arthur, all pointing at him.

"M-M-Merlin?" Arthur said nervously, reaching for his sword at his side until he realized it too was pointing at him.

"Just joking, Sire!" Merlin said cheerfully with such a silly grim that Arthur knew Merlin hadn't changed. That he was somehow both the quirky, clumsy manservant Arthur knew and trusted and an all-powerful sorcerer who could kill him in an instant. And yet wouldn't. Merlin's eyes flashed gold again as he returned the weapons. "So, do you believe me now, your clotpole?"

"You're capable of this and yet you can't even polish my armor correctly half the time?" Arthur complained, throwing a nearby goblet at Merlin's head. Merlin grinned as he just narrowly ducked it. No, nothing had changed. Including Arthur being a prat.

"And by the way, your idea of humor with the weapon trick thingie is just plain stupid," Arthur said, wriggling his fingers in what Merlin supposed was meant to symbolize magic.

Merlin shook his head. Indeed, nothing had changed, _especially_ Arthur being a prat.


End file.
